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We investigated research processes applied in recent publications in the "European Journal of Engineering Education" (EJEE), exploring how papers link to theoretical work and how research processes have been designed and reported. We analysed all 155 papers published in EJEE in 2009, 2010 and 2013, classifying the papers using a taxonomy of research processes in engineering education research (EER) (Malmi et al. 2012). The majority of the papers presented either empirical work (59%) or were case reports (27%). Our main findings are as follows: (1) EJEE papers build moderately on a wide selection of theoretical work; (2) a great majority of papers have a clear research strategy, but data analysis methods are mostly simple descriptive statistics or simple/undocumented qualitative research methods; and (3) there are significant shortcomings in reporting research questions, methodology and limitations of studies. Our findings are consistent with and extend analyses of EER papers in other publishing venues; they help to build a clearer picture of the research currently published in EJEE and allow us to make recommendations for consideration by the editorial team of the journal. Our employed procedure also provides a framework that can be applied to monitor future global evolution of this and other EER journals.

Problem-solving is a key engineering skill, yet is an area in which engineering graduates underperform. This paper investigates the potential of using web-based tools to teach students problem-solving techniques without the need to make use of class time. An idea generation experiment involving 90 students was designed. Students were surveyed about their study habits and reported they use electronic-based materials more than paper-based materials while studying, suggesting students may engage with web-based tools. Students then generated solutions to a problem task using either a paper-based template or an equivalent web interface. Students who used the web-based approach performed as well as students who used the paper-based approach, suggesting the technique can be successfully adopted and taught online. Web-based tools may therefore be adopted as supplementary material in a range of engineering courses as a way to increase students' options for enhancing problem-solving skills.

The present research refers to the assigning of a hands-on group project to freshman engineering students, evaluating their performance, and deriving conclusions on student benefits and educational advances. The research procedure included action plans for the instructor and the students, instructions to the students on performing the work, organizational instructions to the teams and reporting guidelines, and evaluation of the success of the project. The main outcomes refer to the team co-operation, the performance of tasks, the quality of results and the reporting effectiveness. The "paper beam" project benefited the student's learning and proved the need of complementary learning styles in teams, of the appreciation of quality performance and results, as well as of the accuracy in project details. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Empirical research on practicing engineers can inform engineering education as it provides evidence for what engineering students ought to learn. Whilst there has been a growing interest and scholarship in this area, there has not been any systematic attempt to map the empirical research on practicing engineers and develop an agenda for research on engineering practice. To address this gap, we conducted a mapping review of empirical research studies of practicing engineers. We limited our search to studies published in peer-reviewed journal articles since 2000 and identified 187 papers. We used inductive content analysis to categorise the papers intofive research themes: 1) learning in the workplace, 2) competencies and attributes needed for practice, 3) activities undertaken by engineers, 4) diversity, and 5) engineers' identity. For each theme, we report common findings and gaps that can inform future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review has been the focus of an ongoing study at a series of recent annual conferences of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE). A further development of this study has been to explore the perspective/s of the authors of these conference papers and the impact that peer review can have on their development as researchers. This paper uses the identity-trajectory framework to illustrate relationships between peer review and academic identity construction for engineering education authors in the AAEE community. Participants' responses illustrate how various aspects of responding to reviews and writing reviews for other authors, contribute to the development of the networking and intellectual strands of their academic identity as engineering education researchers. We suggest that members of the global engineering education community should be mindful of how they write their peer reviews of conference papers to ensure the opportunity to constructively contribute to their peers' successful transition into this different research paradigm is not missed.

This is a 'position paper' elaborated by Working Group 2 (wg2) 'Quality and Recognition in Engineering Education' of the EU-supported Thematic Network 'Higher Engineering Education for Europe' (H3E), operative from January 1997 to July 1999. G. Heitmann was the Rapporteur, and G. Augusti the Chairman of wg2. Before approval at the H3E final Congress in Budapest (July 1999), the paper had been discussed at several wg2 and public meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the role of grit – defined as both perseverance and passion for long-term goals – on human performance has been conducted for the past decade. It has been suggested that this non-cognitive factor is a better predictor of students' retention than traditional academic measures. These findings hold relevance for engineering education research but studies on this area are still scarce. This paper provides a systematic review of the current state of research on grit and its correlates in engineering higher education research. Publications were identified using three types of databases specific to engineering education; a final set of 31 relevant records was analysed by type of population, methods, research topics and main results. Most of the reviewed studies implemented quantitative methodologies to assess grit and also used one of the two versions of Duckworth's Grit scale. Key findings are that in engineering education research, both the conceptualisation of grit and research reporting procedures have been inconsistent. Such inconsistency hinders interpretation of the impact of grit in engineering education. In response, new research avenues and best practices for reporting are proffered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalising strategies in engineering education have been widely discussed. Globally, at European level, and in Finland, the strategies are formulated to internationalise higher education. Further, in Finland, the discussion of internationality in higher education is lively. Higher education internationalisation is defined through three areas: mobility, multi-culturalism, and networking. The challenge of internationalisation strategies is in their execution. Finding out how to institutionalise internationalisation strategies is the next step in the development of engineering education. In this paper, a conceptual model for institutionalising internationalisation strategies is suggested. The three integrated elements of the model are pedagogy, operative arrangements, and decision-making. This paper provides examples of higher-education institutions (HEIs) in Finland. Engineering education provided in HEIs should highlight the pedagogical approach in international activities in order to gain a competitive advantage within the institutions. (Contains 2 figures.)

Future engineering professionals have to deal with increasing complexity and uncertainty, as global challenges, such as climate change, globalisation and digitalisation, require creative, innovative solutions and interdisciplinary perspectives. Accordingly, engineering graduates have to be prepared to deal with those kinds of problems at different levels. Coping with uncertain and highly complex problems as well as learning from them is referred to as resilience. However, it is not well understood how and to what concern resilience is discussed in engineering education. Therefore, this systematic literature review aims to clarify meanings, definitions and applications of resilience within engineering education. We reviewed 67 research articles and found that resilience in engineering education is either linked to engineering students as a personal attribute or to systems, in this case describing a teaching content. Moreover, the concept of resilience was seldomly defined and explained, indicating that future research should put greater emphasis on doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of digital games in higher education is on the rise in engineering. With the recent COVID-19 restrictions and the move to virtual learning, the interest in and the need for virtual laboratories and technology-enhanced experiential learning tools like digital games are expected to rise. This paper presents a review of the current practices in digital game-based learning for engineering education. Most importantly, it provides insight into the application of digital game-based learning across diverse engineering disciplines. It also provides researchers and practitioners with insights into relevant journals and conferences, available games, research designs and assessment methods being used in digital game-based learning in the context of engineering. Based on predefined inclusion criteria, a total of 51 articles published within the last decade were analysed in detail. Software engineering education was found to evaluate the educational use of games most extensively. Eighteen empirical studies also reported some learning gains with digital games using different assessment methods. The findings of this review indicate increase in the dissemination of games research and possibly in the use of games for engineering education. This paper closes by highlighting future trends in digital game-based learning for engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author looks back at trends in engineering education research (EER) based on articles published in the "European Journal of Engineering Education" founded by the European Society of Engineering Education (SEFI). He remembers his expectations and initiatives as the journal's editor-in-chief since 2008, including changes in the editorial policy of the journal. He also explores the development of EER as an interdisciplinary field.

This paper presents a game of industrialisation, based on a paper airplane, that mimics real world production ramp-up and blends classical engineering courses together. It is based on a low cost product so that it can be mass produced. The game targets graduate students and practitioners in engineering fields. For students, it offers an experiment in which methods learned in separate courses can be applied. For practitioners, it affords an opportunity to engage in reflexive practices related to industrialisation. Both students and practitioners are able to experience integrated management, required by industrialisation, in a controlled environment: the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for a flexible and versatile workforce that is constantly learning and upgrading its skills has led to a continual demand for courses in which employees are re-trained and updated on a lifelong basis. Students and workers now have to be prepared for a labour market in which they can be expected to change jobs many times, and they need to acquire appropriate skills that are transferable and portable across sectors, countries and cultures. This paper presents a new approach to unifying a European curriculum for production engineering. The paper discusses the background, developments, module structure, testing and ongoing work that is carried out in the European Production Engineering Certification project - a two year pilot project granted by the European Union Programme Leonardo da Vinci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors observe that many research papers in engineering education do not explicitly state the theoretical perspective underpinning their work. In this article they argue for the value of theory in assisting researchers in communicating their research findings. Three theoretical perspectives that can be used to support one's research are described, namely; positivism, constructivism and critical inquiry, and in each case examples of research questions that best match the particular framework are given. Researchers are advised to be aware of the limitations of each perspective and to use the one that best assists them in understanding and solving the problems they wish to address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral communication skills are essential for engineers today and, as they are included in accreditation criteria of educational programmes, their teaching and evaluation deserve attention. However, concrete aspects as to what should be taught and evaluated in relation to oral communication skills have not been sufficiently established. In this paper, a method to aid the efficient teaching of oral presentation skills is proposed, from the presentation structure level to word and sentence level choices, through the use of JECPRESE, The Japanese-English Corpus of Presentations in Science and Engineering. As of June 2012, the corpus is composed of transcriptions of 74 presentations delivered in Japanese by students graduating from the Master's programme of various engineering departments and 31 presentations delivered in English, 16 by experienced researchers at an international conference on chemistry, and 15 by undergraduate engineering students of a mid-sized American university. The utterances were classified according to the specific moves (sections of the speech that express specific speaker intent) appearing in the presentations and frequently used words/expressions to express these moves were identified. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Findings are presented from a series of moderated interactive sessions held at international engineering education conferences between July 2007 and December 2008, where attendees discussed the current state and future trajectory of engineering education research. More specifically, this study examines how session attendees described: (1) the relationship between engineering education research and educational practice, policy considerations and industry; (2) important stakeholders, mechanisms/strategies and challenges for relating research to practice, policy and industry. Thematic analysis and open coding procedures were used to analyse the data collected at each session. In summary, frequent discussion and widespread consensus was observed about the need to relate engineering education research to the practice of engineering teaching. Discussions about relating research to policy and industry remain formative, but appear to be gaining traction. The paper concludes by proposing a cyclic model to better conceptualise how engineering education research can be strategically related to practice, profession and industry across diverse local and global contexts. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Laboratories have long been integral to science and engineering education. They encompass diverse formats, repeatedly engaging students in technical programs. These various forms entail distinct pedagogical approaches, expectations, and technical requirements. Scholarly discourse on laboratory education exhibits both historical context and recurrent debates. Despite the laboratory's potential, the focus often centers on knowledge and skill development rather than forward-looking competencies. This paper categorizes these discussions, providing an overview of laboratories' contributions to learning. It delves into the potential role of laboratories in modern education, covering hands-on and Cross Reality (XR) labs, instructional methods, objectives, and research-based learning. The paper aims to illuminate laboratories' capabilities in enhancing the learning process, and it explores the role of research-based learning in conjunction with the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling theory-practice bridging in engineering education is essential for developing twenty-first century graduate capabilities. Massification, resource constraints, and technological development have resulted in significant shifts to alternative forms of practical engagement, such as the use of online laboratories, but how do these contribute to learning? Based on three illustrative case studies at a research-intensive institution in the Global South, this paper offers a conceptualisation of the degrees of complexity entailed in multimodal approaches to teaching Fluid Mechanics, Finite Element Analysis and Control Systems at different stages of their respective programmes The paper examines the different levels of abstract-concrete learning when students engage with verbal, symbolic, graphic and physical representational artefacts designed to enable cumulative learning. The conceptual instruments are theoretically and methodologically drawn from Legitimation Code Theory dimensions, which lend themselves to the graphic analysis of knowledge practices. It is suggested that the explicit integration of and shifting between levels of abstraction and complexity with different kinds of technologies enables the kind of cumulative learning necessary to prepare technically-equipped graduates for complex twenty-first century engineering contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociotechnical thinking (STT) has recently emerged in response to technical-social dualism. It is defined as the ability to identify, address, and respond to both social and technical dimensions of engineering. As the number of publications on STT increases, so does the need to map the literature. This paper provides a scoping literature review of STT in engineering education, focusing on research purposes, methodologies, findings, and potential gaps. Our examination of 25 papers indicates that research on STT in engineering education covers a variety of purposes and methodologies. Key findings in the literature provide a better understanding of students' demonstration of and barriers to developing STT, the intersections between STT, engineering identity and culture, characteristics of STT, challenges and opportunities for teaching STT, and how prior knowledge and emotional connections can facilitate students' development of STT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of individual marks from a group submission is one approach to address the problem of students who don't contribute adequately to group work. This is a highly active research area. An alternative is proposed in this paper: alter the method by which groups are allocated for assessed coursework in tertiary education. The proposed two-step method involves (i) soliciting feedback from the students on the effort invested by their classmates in preliminary assignments and (ii) using these data to allocate groups for a subsequent larger assignment. Students who invest a lot of effort in the preliminary assignments are grouped with similarly motivated students, reducing their dissatisfaction, while students who formerly acted as 'freeloaders' are now obliged to engage with the larger assignment and thereby achieve the desired learning outcomes. This paper describes a trial of this group allocation approach for an undergraduate engineering design course of 111 students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architectural education shares much in common with engineering, including the use of a culminating capstone experience in the final year. The form of this experience varies, with the research-based thesis and final-year project being most common. This paper explores the literature on traditions of enquiry and the meaning of research in various fields and the evolution of the 'thesis' and 'final year project' approaches over time. It then briefly summarises empirical research conducted on a case study institution struggling to bridge gaps in understandings of these distinct forms of learning and teaching. Throughout, the paper presents a comprehensive set of diagrams to explain various paradigms and positions on research and design education. These diagrams depict processes used in architecture, engineering, and natural sciences to conduct research and generate designs. A new model is proffered to help unify competing conceptions of the final year project and thesis, for the case study institution and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the performance of the "European Journal of Engineering Education" (EJEE) and proposes ideas for future editorial policy. He says that EJEE aims at introducing a platform for information exchange on the developments in engineering education. He also states that in the future, the EJEE aims at consolidating and fortifying its position in engineering education. He and his colleagues proposes differentiation into research papers, case studies, and letters to the editors.

Using findings from a 2-year study, this paper explores undergraduate engineering student perspectives on good university teachers. Findings from open survey questions and semi-structured interviews were analysed using principles of grounded theory, resulting in four themes identified by students as key to good university teaching: communication, clarity, commitment, and care. These findings are discussed in relation to recent international debates on teaching excellence. The basic argument of the paper is that the discourse of teaching excellence needs to be critically reconsidered and would benefit from inclusion of the actual perspectives of students rather than student voice discourses framed by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past years, the European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE), the journal of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) developed as a more research oriented journal. Bibliometric analyses show that EJEE keeps pace with other leading journals in the field of Engineering Education in most respects. EJEE serves a worldwide audience with about as many contributions from Europe as from other parts of the world. Yet, the impact factor of the journal calculated according to the formula of Thomson's ISI Web of Science seems to be lagging behind. As an explanation for this phenomenon, it is argued that EJEE keeps on publishing papers that are appreciated by practitioners in the field, even if they do not generate a lot of citations in scientific journals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Transfer functions are convenient representations to analyse cause-and-effect relationships of linear time-invariant dynamic systems. Traditionally, transfer functions are introduced using the Laplace transform. In this paper, we argue that the Laplace transform method is not a necessary prerequisite to understanding the topic 'transfer functions'. We offer an inquiry-based learning method to represent transfer functions without formally using the full machinery of Laplace transforms. The method is used in an introductory engineering course on system modelling and simulation at Aalborg University, Denmark. The paper also presents an initial assessment of the students' understanding of transfer functions without knowledge of Laplace transforms and the experiences gained from implementing inquiry-based learning in the course. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the impact of CAS tools on mathematics and engineering science teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authentic writing is an important aspect in education and research. Unfortunately, academic misconduct occurs among students and researchers. Consequently, written articles undergo certain detection measures and most teaching and research institutions use a range of software to detect plagiarism. However, state-of-the-art Automatic Article Generator (AAG) writing powered by Artificial Intelligence provides a new platform for new types of serious academic misconduct that cannot be easily detected and even if they are detected, can be hard to prove. The main objective of this study is to raise awareness of these tools among academics. This paper first explains the features of AAG writing, then investigates whether academics can distinguish AAG writing from human writing and whether raising the awareness of AAG between academics can improve their ability to detect AAG writing. A case study showed how difficult it is for academics with no knowledge of AAGs to identify this writing. A survey was used to indicate how a training session can improve the ability of detecting AAG writing. The results show that raising awareness training increased the academics' ability to detect AAG writing. Lastly, the possible solutions to mitigate the academic integrity issues associated with AAG writing have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the emergence of an engineering education research (EER) community in three Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland and Sweden. First, an overview of the current state of Nordic EER authorship is produced through statistics on international publication. Then, the history of EER and its precursor activities is described in three national narratives. These national storylines are tied together in a description of recent networking activities, aiming to strengthen the EER communities on the Nordic level. Taking these three perspectives together, and drawing on concepts from community of practice theory, network theory and learning network theory, we discuss factors behind the differences in the countries, and draw some conclusions about implications for networking activities in a heterogeneous community. Further, we discuss the role of networks for affording a joint identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe and evaluate an approach to student learning that aims to instil a culture of formative assessment based on peer-assisted learning. The idea is for suitably qualified undergraduates to assist in the running of weekly first-year tutorials. They mark submitted work, provide written and verbal feedback and lead problem-solving discussions during tutorials. However, contrary to normal practice, the marks they award do not contribute to the students' end-of-year total; all tutorial work becomes essentially voluntary. We report results from a pilot implementation of the scheme over a 12 month period in an engineering department at a leading academic institution. The scheme was such that a comparative and triangulated assessment was possible among the students and tutor team. Results show no discernible degradation in student attendance, submission rates and performance in either the weekly exercises or end-of-year examinations. Important benefits to the peer tutors are also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors, citations and content of European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE) and Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) in 1973 (JEE, 1975 EJEE), 1983, 1993, 2003, and available 2013 issues were analysed. Both journals transitioned from house organs to become engineering education research (EER) journals, although JEE transitioned first. In this process the number of citations rose, particularly of education and psychology sources; the percentage of research articles increased markedly as did the number of reference disciplines. The number of papers per issue, the number of single author papers, and the citations of science and engineering sources decreased. EJEE has a very broad geographic spread of authors while JEE authors are mainly US based. A ‘silo’ mentality where general engineering education researchers do not communicate with EER researchers in different engineering disciplines is evident. There is some danger that EER may develop into a silo that does not communicate with technically oriented engineering professors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To increase students' sense of ownership, the present study incorporated elements of Challenge-based learning (CBL) into a mechanical engineering course. CBL is a desirable pedagogy adopted by many universities of technology. Although the boundaries and constraints of a regular course hinder the application of CBL, some of its benefits can be retained. In this paper, we investigate a second-year mechanical engineering course which aimed to give students autonomy in choosing their modelling projects, to facilitate students' ownership of their learning processes. The mixed-methods analysis of the intervention reveals no particular benefits of the intervention on pilot students' ownership, compared to a control group. The qualitative analysis suggests that implicit and explicit factors constrain ownership development, namely the anticipated difficulty level and official constraints for selecting projects. Our findings suggest that, currently, there could be too simple assumptions about how providing students with autonomy in selecting their projects allows for student ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Comments on the 'European Journal of Engineering Education' on information and communication techniques in engineering education. Selection of papers for the international seminar; Discussion on the pedagogical changes in education; Evaluation on the effectiveness of postgraduate courses.

To uncover and analyze conceptualizations of cross-institutional collaboration in engineering education, a systematic review study was conducted, identifying commonalities in frameworks, assessments and evaluations, and challenges across prior studies. 74 papers were reviewed, revealing study descriptors, theoretically applied frameworks, outcomes of assessments and evaluations, and common challenges. The findings indicate that the concept of cross-institutional collaboration in engineering education is region-specific, with papers most frequently originating from the US. The outcomes identified also highlight the difficulty in establishing clarity among outcomes based on assessments and evaluations, since the majority of the reviewed papers do not include empirical data gathered outside the collaborative activities. The structural and personal challenges and barriers found underline the need for more efforts to ensure successful collaboration with and across engineering education. Finally, designing, delivering, and sustaining collaboration require further attention from decision-makers in engineering education to address and facilitate collaboration between academic staff and students across institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates what instructional factors influence conceptual understanding (CU) of signals and systems for senior undergraduate engineering students. Previous results show students in signals and systems courses typically gain little CU, though evidence-based instructional practices, such as active learning, can increase gains in CU. However, few studies consider CU of senior students or other instructional practices that increase CU. To explore possible factors, we interviewed two faculty members, eight undergraduate seniors, five graduate students, and four practicing engineers then analyzed the transcribed interviews using a constant comparative method. Participants identified lectures presenting CU along-side mathematical expressions; lectures emphasising purpose and connections; hands-on activities where students have control, receive immediate feedback, or where they have to apply and synthesise concepts; and repetition of concepts across multiple courses as factors that helped build CU. Grades that emphasise procedural knowledge over CU and heavy workloads were noted as hindrances to CU. This paper relates these findings to theories on conceptual understanding and previous results on factors that influence student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformative curriculum innovation is needed in engineering education programmes, to continuously keep up to date with developments in the professional and research disciplines, in society, technology and pedagogy, and in the characteristics and needs of its diverse students. To enable and facilitate such innovations, both the curriculum's design and its institutional organisation need to be easily adaptable. This paper introduces Curriculum Agility, a concept that has been developed between 2018 and 2023 in a series of focus group sessions with engineering education practitioners and experts. Throughout these co-creational and iterative sessions, Curriculum Agility was defined as a responsively organised education, with dynamic learning contents and flexible pedagogics and didactics, while all involved staff is continuously developing competency to deal with the necessary transitions. Ten principles of Curriculum Agility are presented to guide curriculum innovators at programme and course level towards continuous transformation that is desirable, feasible, and viable within their context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the design and implementation of a virtual lab for on-line lab training on optical communications, part of the 'Optical Communications' course offered at the Dept. of Electrical & Electronic Engineering Educators, School of Pedagogical & Technological Education (ASPETE), Athens, Greece. The virtual lab is based on the OptiSystem 16 software tool while the on-line component was implemented by using the MS-Teams tool of MS-Office. The lab includes a synchronous and an asynchronous part. Since the virtual lab was offered for the first time, students' response was evaluated on the basis of the submitted lab reports to allow for proper corrective actions during the subsequent academic year. Results were encouraging in that 79% of the students achieved a passing grade, however, 60% of students either failed or attained a low passing grade, which leaves room for improvement. Further analysis revealed a lack of a proper background in mathematics, physics and essential signal quantities. Future actions will include an investigation of the optimum combination between the physical and the simulation lab, development of short notes and multiple-choice questions, a closer association between the lab work and relevant small tasks/projects and a more systematic feedback process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of VR in engineering education provides a means for contextualising learning through authentic and engaging scenarios, e.g. the touring and operation of a chemical plant. This paper presents the design of an immersive VR simulation of an existing pilot plant in the School and its evaluation through a randomised non-inferiority trial to test student learning compared to a more traditional learning medium. Specifically, the study evaluates information retention (i.e. memory and understanding) when using the VR simulation and compares this to information retention when presented as a multimedia instructional video. Student self-efficacy in plant operation and design (e.g. equipment function and operation), as well as engagement in the learning activity, are also evaluated. The results indicate that both the VR and multimedia-based activities lead to comparable data retention and student self-efficacy. Moreover, students enjoyed the VR experience and welcomed the addition of the resource to their educational materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]